President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliyev on the recent earthquake, which caused major destruction and claimed many lives 2000-11-26 00:00:00 The message said, in part: “Russians received the news of the tragedy which befell the people of Azerbaijan with compassion and are ready to provide any assistance that might be needed to deal with the aftermath of the calamity.” The Russian President sent his condolences to the families of the victims and offered his sincere sympathy for all those affected by the earthquake.